Medicament dispensing unit



Oct. 2, 1956 E. HENDERSON MEDICAMENT DISPENSING UNIT Filed April 9, 1953 1 INVENTOR du/afd /fefmensv/ ATTORNEYS United States Patent O MEDICAMENT DISPENSING UNIT Edward Henderson, Montclair, N. J. Application April 9, 1956, Serial No. 347,709

3 Claims. (Cl. 12S-216) This invention relates to hypodermic syringe units and in one aspect involves an improvement over my prior Patent No. 2,388,323, issued on November 6, 1945, which shows a unit in which the barrel is made of a plastic or resilient material and in which the needle is sealed either by a diaphragm or by imbedding it into the cap.

This application is a continuation in part of my prior application for U. S. Letters Patent, Serial Number 179,- 944 on Hypodermic Syringe Ampule-Unit, filed August 17, 1950, now abandoned.

Hypodermic syringes of the type commonly used in hospitals comprise a glass barrel having a plunger and a piston. These syringes are relatively bulky and easily broken. They are normally kept empty and sterile and filled when needed and as a practical matter cannot be kept filled for immediate use.

An object of this invention is to provide a disposable unit to be used for hypodermic injections and the dispensing of medicament, such unit being particularly adapted for first aid use, for use in parachute and other military emergency medical kits or Wherever speedy treatment of the sick or injured is important. It' will also be a useful addition to the armamentarium of the practicing physician.

Another object is to provide a unit which will overcome certain objections to disposable units heretofore available. My invention, for example, will reveal immediately upon visual examination that the unit is intact and that the full dose of the drug intended to be used is contained in the unit. It is one of the features of my invention that I combine the advantages of a sealed transparent glass container with-in a resilient barrel made of a compressible material such as one of the ethylene polymers or other suitable plastic.

An additional object is that of furnishing a medicament dispensing unit which will include relatively few parts each individually rugged and simple in construction; such parts being capable of ready manufacture, sterilization and assembly to furnish unitary assemblies which may readily be transported, stored and used.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig.l is a cross-sectional elevation of a hypodermic syringe unit embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation taken at right angles to Fig. l with the cap in section and showing the cap removed from the syringe so that the syringe is ready for use; and

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. l but showing an alternative form of structure.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, I provide a barrel portion which is preferably tubular in shape and made of a resilient transparent compressible material such as one of the polyvinyl resins. The lower end 11 of the barrel member 10 may be closed by heat sealing or by means of a solvent and an adhesive with pressure. The upper end 12 of the barrel 10 is contained Within a U-channel 14 of the needle assembly 15. The needle assembly is preferably made of metal with a needle 16, a hub portion 17 and 2 a rim 118 forming with an inner rim 19 the U-shaped channel 14. The hub 17 is reduced in size from the rim 18 and is adapted to frictionally engage the inner surface 20 of the cap member 21. The cap member 21 is also provided with a recess 2.2 to house the needle 16.

Mounted Within the barrel 10 is an ampule 25 preferably made of thin transparent glass or other frangible material which will not adversely affect the medicament. Positioned in the hub 17 between the opening 26 of the needle and top of the ampule 25 is a filter 27 made of cotton or other suitable material. The cap 21 fits over the needle 16 and forms pressure contact with the hub 17, thus definitely sealing the needle from the air or from other sources of contamination until the needle is actually ready for use. Due to the resiliency of the barrel 10 the chances of the ampule 25 being broken unintentionally are slight and the entire unit will take yconsiderable abuse without injury.

In assembly, the barrel portionr10 is inserted in the channel 14. and the rims crimped together firmly to hold the needle assembly to the barrel.. The cap is loosely applied and the filter is inserted. The ampule 25, containing the fluid drug 30, is inserted through the end of the barrel and the end 11 of the barrel is sealed. The entire device is then sterilized and the cap tightened by friction. The syringe unit is then ready for immediate use and operated simply by removing the cap, inserting the needle into the tissue and squeezing the' barrel 10 to an extent sufficient to crush the frangible ampule 25 and to allow the liquid to be forced through the filter and out through the needle. The condition and amount of the fluid 30 are readily ascertainable by visible inspection since the barrel 10 and the ampule 25 are transparent.

In Fig. 3 a unit has been shown which is especially useful in connection with ophthalmic solutions where one or more drops are tobe dispensed. In this view the numeral 31 indicates an encasing member formed of suitablevplastic material and the end of which is sealed as at 32. Similar to Fig. 1, this member is formed with a reduced neck portion 33 which may, however, be integral with its body. This neck portion terminates in a discharge mouth or lip suitable for drop by drop dispensing. A cap 34 has a friction fit on this neck and the parts are sterilized so that they will remain in proper condition as long as the cap is mounted upon the neck.

Within the encasing member an ampule 3S' containing a proper solution is disposed. This ampule `is jacketed or surrounded by a casing 36 of fibers. The latter may serve as a filtering medium. Otherwise a lter may be interposed between the ampule and the base of the spout in the manner shown in Fig. l.

In any event when it is desired to employ the device, this may readily be done by simply pressing the encasing member and thus ruptur-ing the contained ampule. Thereupon the cap is dismounted and the discharge end` of the spout or neck is disposed adjacent the surface to receive the solution, As the encasing member is compressed or collapsed, the solution originally within the ampule, and which is now within that member, will be forced through the filtering medium and discharged through the spout.

Thus among others the several objects of the invention as specifically aforenoted are achieved. Obviously numerous changes in construction and rearrangements of the parts might be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the claims.

I claim:

l. A medicament dispensing unit containing a tubular resilient barrel member having one end thereof closed, a needle assembly including a hypodermic needle, said needle assembly having a pair of walls forming a U- shaped channel engaging the other end` of said barrel member and sealing a transparent frangible ampule containing liquid material Within said barrel member and a lter between said ampule and said needle.

2. A dispensing container for packaging and dispensing fluid preparations comprising: an ampule containing the fluid preparation and made of a material impervious to and unaffected by said uid preparation, said ampule being frangible so that the fluid preparation may bev dispensed therefrom by breaking the ampule; an outer tubular casing completely enclosing and encasing the ampule and made of a exible material impervious to and unaffected by said fluid preparation, said casing being formed with an outwardly projectingdispensing portion having a dispensing aperture extending therethrough and said casing being collapsible whereby said casing may be co1- lapsed to break the frangible ampule and to dispense the fluid preparation through the dispensing aperture; and means providing a filter between said ampule and said dispensing aperture to restrain solid particles of said ampule when broken from passing through said dispensing aperture,

3. A hypodermic assembly for use in packaging and hypodermically dispensing fluid medicaments compiising: an ampule containing the uid medicament and made of a material impervious to and unaffected by said medicament, said ampule being frangible so that the uid medicament may be dispensed therefrom by breaking the ampule; an outer tubular casing completely enclosing and encasing the ampule and made of a exible material impervious to and unaffected by said fluid medicament, said casing having a hypodermic needle with a dispensing aperture extending therethrough communicating with the interior thereof and projecting outwardly therefrom and said casing beingcollapsible whereby said casing may be collapsed to breakthe frangible ampule and to dispense the fluid medicament through the dispensing aperture in the hypodermic needle; and means providing a filter between said ampule and said dispensing aperture to restrain solid particles of said ampule when broken from passing through the dispensing aperture.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS v730,596 Baker June 9, 1903 1,221,231 sharp Apr. 3, 1917 2,493,416 Negri v Jan. 3, o

FOREIGN PATENTS 22,812 Great Britain ocr. 22, 1904 

